New Karnataka minister accused in many cases of illegal mining, says it’s ‘not a problem’

Environment

The appointment of Anand Singh has drawn criticism from the opposition, including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

TNM Staff

Anand Singh, a four-time MLA from Ballari district of Karnataka, was appointed as the Minister of Forest, Environment and Ecology, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Tuesday. But just days after the appointment, the decision was criticised by the opposition since Anand Singh is accused in as many as 15 illegal mining and forest crimes since 2012.  Anand Singh also has business interests in mining. He was initially made the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies on Monday but a day later he was handed a change in portfolio.  "Our family has been into mining for a long time. There will be cases of small violations, it is not a problem. If you own a motorbike, you will have cases against it. I am content with this portfolio," Anand Singh told reporters when he was questioned over his appointment on Thursday.  However, opposition is growing against the newly appointed minister. Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also objected to Singh's appointment as Forest Minister and termed the decision as "not right". "Modi ji and BJP again come to the rescue of ‘Bellary Gang’! S.C says give reasons for giving tickets to tainted Netas or contempt! Modiji says make tainted Netas not MLA’s alone but Ministers of the ministry, which has been allegedly looted! Will SC issue contempt of PM & Karnataka CM?," tweeted Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. "Forest minister facing 15 cases under Forest act. @BSYBJP allotting forest ministry to Anandsingh is illegal since he has over dozen cases pending against him, including serious offenses under Karnataka Forest Act. How can a person charged with serious offences head the ministry?" the Karnataka Congress tweeted. Even a petition was posted on Change.org calling for the minister to be replaced immediately.  As per Anand Singh's latest election affidavit, there are 15 cases pending against him. The offences are under the Indian Penal Code and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act to be read with violations of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1969. He was, at one point, closely associated with infamous mining baron Janardhana Reddy, who is also from Ballari. Anand Singh was arrested twice for his involvement in the 2009 Ballari mining scam which rocked the then BJP government in power. In the mining scam, he is accused of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, criminal trespass and forgery. The case is currently under trial before a special court in Bengaluru.  He was arrested by CBI in 2013 connection with alleged illegal export of iron ore from Belikeri port in Karnataka. Singh was arrested in 2015 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Lokayukta on charges of illegal transportation of iron ore. In another case, a range forest officer in Hospet in Ballari accused Anand Singh of violating laws in reserved forest areas including altering boundary marks. Eleven of the fifteen cases are being prosecuted by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Lokayukta.  Anand Singh is accused of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, and transport or movement of forest produce without permits and licences. Two of Singh's cabinet colleagues Laxman Savadi and C T Ravi had on Wednesday come out in his defence, stating that cases against him were still being probed and not proven. As per sources in the BJP, Anand Singh asked for a change in the portfolio after he was allocated the Food and Civil Supplies Department. Although he had his eye on the Energy Ministry, he was instead made the Minister of Forest, Environment and Ecology. Anand Singh left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2019 along with other rebel leaders to pave the way for the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy to fall and for the BJP to take power in the state.  With PTI inputs

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Sec 144 order issued by Bengaluru top cop ahead of anti-CAA protests illegal: HC

Court

Chief Justice of Karnataka HC Abhay Oka said that there was no indication of application of mind by the Police Commissioner of Bengaluru.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday held that the order issued by Bengaluru Police Commissioner imposing section 144 on December 18, 2019 ahead of the anti-CAA protests is illegal. Chief Justice Abhay Srinivas Oka, who passed the order, said that the Commissioner’s order does not stand the test of judicial scrutiny laid down by the Supreme Court in 2018. Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Rajeev Gowda, Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy, and others had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court on December 19 seeking the quashing of the order passed by the state government on December 18 that imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders) ahead of massive anti-CAA protests in Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka. Section 144 was imposed just hours after permissions were given to hold the protests, leading many to question whether it was done deliberately to stifle freedom of expression. Ahead of issuing the order, Chief Justice Abhay Oka posed a number of questions to the Attorney General Prabhuling Navadgi, who filed objections to the petition on behalf of the state government: “Can an order under Section 144 cancel an already granted permission? Can the state go under the assumption that every protest will disturb the peace? When permission for carrying out protests was given to certain organisations, how can it be cancelled overnight?” “There is no indication of application of mind by the district magistrate, in this case, the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru. Exercise of power under Section 144 sub section 1 while passing the order was not at all legal. Whether the district magistrate had grounds to pass the order is not of concern in the matter but whether the order in itself stands to pass trial in a court of law,” he said. “The order is illegal and does not stand scrutiny in the court as per the parameters prescribed by the Supreme Court in the case of Anuradha Bhasin v/s the Union of India 2018,” CJ Oka added. The Attorney General representing the state government said that the Commissioner of Police had received reports from 11 Deputy Commissioners of Police stating that “anti-social elements” could create a ruckus during the protests planned on December 19, 2019, which is why Section 144 was imposed. Chief Justice Oka said that the reports from the 11 DCPs were not enough grounds for the Commissioner to pass the order as it violated Supreme Court orders. In the Anuradha Bhasin case, the Supreme Court had stated that the district magistrate must conduct an inquiry and also stipulate the material evidence and reasons or material particulars in the order while imposing section 144. He said that in the current case the Police Commissioner had not conducted an inquiry and had not mentioned material facts and neither were the Commissioner’s reasons for imposing Section 144 stated. “There is no indication of application of mind by the district magistrate in this instance. The reports submitted by the DCPs alone are not enough,” he added.

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Karnataka minister R Ashoka’s son was allegedly in car that mowed down a man

Crime

R Ashok neither confirmed nor denied that his son was involved in the accident, while the police said that his son was not at all involved in it.

TNM Staff

A Mercedes Benz car crashed into a tea stall on Monday near a petrol pump in Karnataka’s Hampi killing two people and injuring three others. Pictures of the red Mercedes’ hood in a completely mangled state went viral on Thursday after media reports emerged that the car was driven by Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka’s son, Sharath.  According to a report by Kannada newspaper Prajavani, the local police did not mention Sharat’s name in the FIR though he was driving the car, in a clear bid to shield him. The report also stated that Sharat fled the scene of the crime soon after the accident occurred in another car.  The car with license plate number KA05MW0357 was speeding along the national highway at around 2.45 pm on Monday. Ravi Nayaka had gone to the puncture shop located near the Durga petrol pump in Mariyammanahalli village. Ravi and Laxman Nayak were waiting for the punctured wheel of a two-wheeler to be repaired and were drinking tea at the Tippa Nayak Tea Stall when the speeding car rammed Ravi.  The Ballari police have denied this allegation, however eyewitnesses have told news channels that Sharath was in the car. Two men who witnessed the crash told Public TV, “The car tried to maneuver around a lorry that was parked on the side of the road but the driver lost control and rammed into Ravi. It dragged him for some distance and also toppled a board. An ambulance came later and took Ravi’s body. The car passenger’s body was taken by a new SUV that came to the scene later.” The reporter showed the men a picture of Sharath, and they both identified him as one of the people in the car.  The FIR, which TNM has a copy of, states that Rahul, a 29-year-old resident of Bengaluru’s Jalahalli was behind the wheel. The impact of the accident has grievously injured fellow passengers Shivakumar, Rakesh and Varun. Another passenger in the car, who was sitting in the front seat named Sachin died while he was being taken to the hospital at around 3.30 pm.  Soon after the allegations were made, Congress in Karnataka demanded that action be taken against Sharat. Congress National campaign in-charge Srivatsa said in a tweet, “This 18-yr old Dalit boy Ravi Naik was killed in the accident which is being hushed up by the Karnataka BJP to protect the Minister's son. Why is a VIP’s son being protected?” The Ballari police too are denying Sharath was in the car. Ballari Superintendent of Police (SP), CK Babu said that the investigators visited the scene of the accident and that Sharath was not involved in the crime. “There were only four people in the car. The minister’s son was not in it. We conducted a preliminary probe too when there were allegations but it is not true,” he added.  The car is registered to National Public School in Bengaluru. However, TNM was unable to get a response from the school.  R Ashoka, who spoke to the media after the photos of the car went viral, neither confirmed nor denied his son’s role in the accident. “There is no one above law and let the investigation continue. Whoever is wrong here, let action be taken,” he said. Speaking about the allegations that the police are shielding Sharath, Ashoka said,“The fact that I am a minister has no connection to this. Law is the same for all. As a minister, I should not react that that the incident happened in this way or that, when the investigation is still on. It is not respectful of the law and action will be taken on whoever it may be. The innocent people who died in the accident died between 3:30 and 4 pm.” When R Ashoka was asked why his son’s name came up with regards to the accident, he gave no clear answer. “I don’t want to intervene during an investigation. There is no connection between the car and me. There is no connection between that organisation and me. Investigation is on and I should not say “for” or “against”. If my son is hurt, it will be clear upon investigation.” Reporters repeatedly asked R Ashok whether his son was there during the accident, and where he is now, but he refused to disclose his whereabouts, or comment on whether his son was involved in the accident. “Repeatedly I am saying: when the investigation report comes, we will know. The media is saying my son is involved, let me not comment on it. Investigation is on. FIR has been registered from the family of the deceased. But it does not have my son's name. I have not claimed to any media person that my son is involved. That is not true,” he said. A video of the distraught grandmother of Ravi Nayak was shared on social media. In the video, she is heard wailing and asking “Ravi, where did go? When will you be back?” Grandmother of Ravi Nayak who was killed in Ballari accident on Monday. Revenue min R Ashoka refused to confirm or deny if his son was present when the accident took place pic.twitter.com/2kDjIdhSZ3 — Pooja Prasanna (@PoojaPrasanna4) February 13, 2020

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After commuters object, new parking fees at Bengaluru’s KSR Station to be reviewed

Transport

Passengers now have to pay Rs 232 to park their two-wheelers for a whole day, compared to the earlier fee of Rs 70 for parking for 24 hours.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/ Pixcy.com

A new parking fee structure at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station (Majestic) in Bengaluru marking a steep increase in fees has prompted unhappy reactions from commuters. The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) which looks over the parking facility in the station has hiked the parking fees starting from January 25. Now, passengers have to pay Rs 232 to park their two-wheelers for a whole day, compared to the earlier fee of Rs 70 for parking for 24 hours. Parking for the first two hours is Rs 12 and every additional hour after that will cost Rs 10 per hour. Passengers who misplace their parking receipt will now have to shell out Rs 500. While the monthly pass for parking two-wheelers is Rs 1,000, the same for cars is Rs 3,000. The fee for car parking for the first two hours is Rs 25 and Rs 20 for every next hour for single users. New Parking Tariff including access control system at KSR Bengaluru Station w.e.f 00:00 hrs of 25.01.2020. https://t.co/E2TvkC2Wuf pic.twitter.com/88zB9Qw8i9 — IRSDC KSR Bengaluru (@IRSDC_Bangalore) January 28, 2020 The steep increase in fees has evoked sharp reactions from the public and has forced the authority to take note. IRSDC has assured that the fees will be reviewed in a week’s time. In a statement, it said, “IRSDC is working to rationalise the rates for parking at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station so as to promote short term parking and discourage long term parking through higher parking fee. This has been done with a clear intention of letting passengers find a parking place easily at the station as more than 90% of the users of parking facility has also been developing 'Drop & Go lanes with no charges for initial 5 to 15 minutes depending upon locations so that access to the station is made congestion-free are requiring parking only for short term use IRSDC.” It added, “The existing issues concerning public at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station, including that of parking rates, will be resolved within this week.” IRSDC is a joint venture company of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways and Ircon International Limited (IRCON) (A Govt. of India Undertaking, under Ministry of Railways). Reacting to this, Sanjeev Dhyamanavar, a transport policy expert, said that due to a lack of stringent uniform policies for parking and unabated parking on the roads, this move by the Railways will not help much. “Since the facilities are the same, there is no way people will be convinced to pay more for the same facility. So people will gradually move to private facilities or even the nearby KSRTC/ BMTC bus stations if that offers more competitive pricing,” he said. He added, “If the railways provide additional facilities like CCTV surveillance or proper sheds, then people might see some merit in paying the increased fee. Moreover, in general, long-distance trains are usually late, so it does not make sense to penalise a railway user further.”  Sandeep Anirudhan, an activist also criticised the new fees. He said, “There seems to be a racket that goes on in Railways. Every now and then, they give out contracts to private parties to manage the parking, and the tickets are priced so high that it becomes unaffordable for people who use the facility. Very often, the parking tickets cost much more than the train fare. Who will use it then? If the Railways wishes to be popular, they should allow parking at nominal charges.” He added, “The Railways is not paying rent for the land, so they should not be interested in making profits out of this. And the private operator-officials nexus needs to be probed.”

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Residents watch helplessly as Bengaluru hutments razed due to pvt land dispute

Eviction

The residents have been fearful ever since the Varthur Police Inspector allegedly warned them of eviction last week.

Theja Ram

Fear gripped the residents of Bengaluru’s Munekolala slum located near Marathahalli on Thursday morning. The residents of the settlement stood helplessly as earthmovers demolished their hutments. The residents of the settlement located near Vagdevi School have been fearful of eviction ever since Varthur Police Inspector Obala Reddy allegedly warned them of eviction last week. However, police say that the demolition did not take place on any order from either the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) or the city police and that it occurred due to a private land dispute. Around 20 hutments were demolished before the police intervened and stopped the process. Why residents fear eviction “There was one earthmover and a man who called himself the manager of the landowner’s affairs. He said that he had been instructed to raze the structure by the landowner. Since the Varthur Police Inspector had threatened to demolish the settlement last week, and had accused the residents of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, we thought that we were being evicted just like the settlement in Whitefield last month,” said 65-year-old Lakshmi Shutar, a daily wage worker from Odisha, who lives in the settlement. The residents immediately called activist Khaleem of Swaraj India Party and informed him about the demolition. “I called the police at around 10 am and informed them that someone was demolishing the hutments. Initially, the residents told us that it was the police who were demolishing the hutments. Hence, we were concerned as it is against the recent High Court order,” Khaleem said. Read: Who demolished migrant huts claiming Bangladeshi infiltration? BBMP says it didn't Earlier in January, around 300 hutments at a settlement in Whitefield were demolished after a BBMP Assistant Engineer issued an order for the eviction of the residents there, claiming that they were Bangladeshi nationals. The Karnataka High Court had taken the BBMP to task and had, on February 10, issued an order that those who were evicted must be resettled. On February 5, residents of the Munekolala settlement had said that the Varthur Police Inspector had threatened to evict all settlements, and had allegedly called them illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. When activists approached the police, they had assured them that no demolition would take place. Read: 'Cop called us Bangladeshi, asked us to vacate': Settlement in Bengaluru fears eviction The land dispute Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Whitefield subdivision, MN Anucheth, tasked the Marathahalli Police to stop the demolition immediately. The Marathahalli Police, who went to the spot, stopped the earthmover from demolishing more houses.  “There is a half-acre plot opposite Vagdevi School where the settlement is located. The land belongs to a woman named Jayamma, who holds the required documents to prove ownership of the agricultural land. However, a local builder named Narayana Reddy has been fighting for the plot and he hired people and the earthmover to raze the settlements,” DCP Anucheth said. Marathahalli Police said that Sandeep, the manager who was on site, was arrested. Police say that Narayana Reddy wanted to usurp Jayamma’s property and that in order to do so, he planned to evict the settlement dwellers and then take over the property. “We arrested Sandeep, seized the earthmover and questioned him. He said he was only carrying out orders and did not know what was happening. We are tracking down Narayana Reddy,” the police added. An FIR has been registered at the Marathahalli Police Station against Narayana Reddy and Sandeep under Sections 427 (mischief causing damage to property), 441 (trespassing) and 425 (wrongful loss to individual or individuals’ property) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

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Not paid for 11 months, Karnataka medical interns and PG students go on protest

Protest

This is a recurring issue since the government has maintained that since students study in private colleges, the hospital where they are working, should pay their stipends.

Prajwal Bhat

Medical interns and post-graduate doctors in Karnataka are protesting once again to demand the payment of 11 months worth of stipend. "Our batch of students expected that we would be paid by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department but we have not received payments for the last 11 months," says Dr. Siddarth Shankar, who works at Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru. In all, 54 Medical interns serving in Wenlock District Hospital and Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru held a protest on Tuesday near the OPD block of Wenlock Hospital. 97 Interns and 133 PG doctors serving in Chigateri District Hospital and Women and Child Hospital in Davangere too are protesting over the same issue. The interns and post-graduate students are from Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru and JJM Medical College in Davangere. Though they are studying in private colleges, they are attached to government hospitals. Receiving stipend on time is a recurring issue for interns and post-graduate doctors in these hospitals. In 2018, interns and doctors in Mangaluru and Davangere took to the streets to demand the payment of their stipends after it was delayed by over 8 months. The students were eventually paid by the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) under the Karnataka government.  Read: Unpaid for 8 months, K'taka medical interns and PG students stop work in protest The issue came to a head once again this month. This is because the DME has repeatedly maintained that since the students are studying in a private college, the hospital where students are working, should bear the expenses of their stipend. The students, however, qualified for private colleges through the Common Entrance Test (CET), a competitive exam for admission in medical, dental and engineering courses conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). Following the delay in paying wages in 2018, the Department of Health and Family Welfare in the Karnataka government wrote a letter to the DME. In the letter dated October 30 2018, it was stated that the "payment of stipend for ongoing batches will be done by the respective hospitals through their Arogya Raksha Samiti (ARS) account". The Department of Health and Family Welfare urged hospitals to free up space in their budgets by "enhancing clinical charges to cover payment of stipends" and "increase the number of procedures conducted so as to make maximum utilisation of Arogya Karnataka Scheme". However, the protesting medical students say that the hospitals haven't taken up the responsibility of paying their stipends citing lack of funds.  "The Health Department, the hospital administrations and the colleges have juggled the responsibility to pay stipend to interns and PG doctors for the past year. But none of them have come forward to pay the stipend" says Dr. Akash, a post-graduate student at JJM Hospital in Davangere. This is despite an RTI response documented in August 2019 confirming that more than Rs 4.8 crore was available under the ARS at Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru. However, hospital authorities stated that the remaining funds under the ARS were for procuring drugs in emergency situations and not for paying stipends of interns. Medical interns are paid Rs. 20,000 in monthly wages, while post-graduate students are paid Rs. 30,000, Rs. 35,000 and Rs. 40,000 in their first, second and third years respectively. The amount needed for the payment of all interns at Wenlock Hospital was quoted around Rs. 2.4 crore. In a letter written on Wednesday, Dr. Rajeshwari Devi, Medical Superintendent of Wenlock District Hospital, once again requested the officials in the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department to release funds to pay interns stipends for up to 11 months.  "Our term is ending in March. We don't want oral assurances or tweets over the issue. We want a written assurance to clear up who pays the stipend and that the stipends will be paid before we graduate," says Dr. Siddarth. 

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Bellandur lake cleaning: Experts divided over desilting, diverting polluted water

Environment

The Bangalore Environment Trust, a pro-environmental NGO, has questioned the merit and practicality of desilting the lakes by spending crores of rupees, without stopping sewage entering the lake.

Soumya Chatterjee

The National Green Tribunal (NGT)-monitored rejuvenation process for the infamous Bellandur and Varthur lakes in Bengaluru has faced fresh opposition. The Bangalore Environment Trust (BET), a noted pro-environmental NGO in the city, has questioned the merit and practicality of desilting the lakes by spending crores of rupees, without stopping sewage entering the lake at first.  In a detailed letter submitted to the government and relevant authorities, Yellapa Reddy, a former IFS officer and Chairman of BET, has raised concerns over how the government will extract and use 20 million tonnes of silt, which may be toxic. The letter has been signed by many experts in lake rejuvenation and environmental governance, including Harini Nagendra, Professor of Sustainability at the Azim Premji University. Incidentally, this move by BET has made another section of activists unhappy as they feel all the work done over the last year, as per the current plan, will be undone if it is delayed and if the desilting work is not finished by the monsoon. One-time cleaning plan Bellandur lake is the largest lake in Bengaluru, and receives water from three upstream lakes. Bellandur lake flows into Varthur lake, then to Dakshina Pinakini river as part of the connected tank systems of Bengaluru. Pinakini continues to flow towards Tamil Nadu. As part of the lake rejuvenation, the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), the custodian of the lake, has emptied or de-watered the lake, as advised by the NGT-appointed panel. Additional temporary channels have been created to directly divert the water entering the Bellandur lake to Varthur lake.  Meanwhile, tenders for desilting the Bellandur lake have also been floated. Desilting is expected to be completed before the onset of monsoon. Once the desilting process is complete, treated sewage will be let into the lake once again.  However, according to NGT’s plan, this will be a one-time clean-up process. By September, another sewage treatment plant is set to be ready to ensure only treated water enters the lake. Once Bellandur lake is cleaned, Varthur lake will be de-watered and desilted.   Once the clean-up of lakes is complete, clean water will flow into the river, the NGT argues. Are we translocating pollution? BET has questioned NGT’s rejuvenation plan, calling it ‘translocation of pollution’. Rejuvenation of one waterbody “should not spell a death knell to other water bodies”, it said.   “If the objective is pollution abatement, then diversion work is in contradiction to that objective, as it allows the toxic wastewater to travel long distances and thus increase the pollution load of the water bodies downstream,” the BET said in its letter.  According to the NGO, the activity is, in fact, in contravention to Section 24 in The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. This section prohibits a person from knowingly causing or permitting any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter — per standards laid down by the State Board — to enter, directly or indirectly, into any stream or well or sewer or on land.  “According to our Constitution, people downstream of Bellandur Tank also have the right to a clean and healthy environment. Bellandur Tank wastewater has already been diverted to Varthur Lake. Varthur Lake diversion is in the works. We request the government to pause, validate the approach via an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and make the necessary course correction,” BET said.  The BET also highlighted the thumb rule to prevent pollution — stop pollution at source. “Any enforcement programme to prevent pollution is a continuous activity and is cheaper than clean-up later,” the letter read Speaking to TNM, Sharatchandra Lele, a lake expert who was part of the panel of Bellandur lake in the past, said that desilting is a hazardous, extensive and a resource-intensive process and it is fruitless if sewage keeps entering the lake.  “Desilting should be an option only after all pollution sources have been eliminated. In some cases, it may not be required at all, because once clean water starts flowing in, pollutants might get gradually washed away on its own,” added Lele, who is a signatory of the letter. The BET further argued that to desilt the Bellandur lake at a rate of 1000 tonnes per day will take a total of 53 years, and 20 years to desilt Varthur lakebed.  Another independent activist Nagesh Aras also echoed similar views. More so he invoked the NK Patil report which had detailed on the lacunas of lake management and said the current plan of selectively solving the problem of these two lakes before fixing the other lakes upstream was unwise. He also questioned the authorities preparedness over the logistics of how to transport or use the huge amount of silt in a time bound manner. NGT team confident about plan Experts on the NGT-appointed panel, on the other hand, believe that the current rejuvenation plan will prove effective.  According to TV Ramachandra, a veteran scientist at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) who is part of the rejuvenation process, the Pollution Control Board and IISc have collected samples and sent for testing to prevent possible toxicity of the lake. “Based on the results, a plan will be drawn to scientifically deal with different types of silt. Besides, authorities have been asked to remain vigilant to stop effluents from flowing into the lake,” he insisted. Regarding the concerns of pollution downstream, he pointed out that the polluted water has been flowing for the last 30 years. “If the decontamination is carried out at least now, clean water will flow, the water holding capacity of the lake will improve and subsequently, the water table in the area will be rejuvenated. The same model was followed for redeveloping the Jakkur lake. It has been 10 years now and it is still full of life,” he told TNM. ‘NGT-monitored plan backed by scientific study’ In a joint statement, citizen groups — Whitefield Rising, Varthur/Bellandur lake citizen volunteers — opposed the move by the BET. They said Environmental Impact Assessment should be done for Orange and Red categories of industry. They pointed out that the current plan is backed up by scientific data of over 22 years, including a bathymetric study (of underwater depth of lake and ocean floors) of lakes by IISc and supported by Defence Personnel. “The Bellandur/Varthur rejuvenation is eco-friendly. This is being closely monitored by the National Green Tribunal and vigilant resident citizens around the lakes,” they said. “These lakes have accumulated silt for over 50 years. Desilting is the need of the hour as waterborne diseases continue to affect the health of the residents living around the lake. We also believe the government agencies will dispose of the silt as per the applicable environmental laws and the norms set by the central and state Pollution Control Board.”

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